Semester 2

In order for these changes to be implemented both teachers and students need sufficient time to transition between our traditional Semester 1 to our revised Semester 2 programme. The Whānau Conferences are part of this transition period and work to ensure every student is best positioned to succeed.

Some key changes have been made to the Semester 2 programme and how students will experience learning. These include:

• The extension of Semester 2 from 14 weeks to between 18 & 23 weeks.

  • Traditionally our students would participate in a Pathways focused learning experience in Term 4 and would go on ‘leave’ when exams start in early November. This year we will not run the Pathways focused programme and leave will be dependent on progress towards NCEA L2/L3 with the possibility of students staying until the last day - 10 Dec.

  • The Pathways focused programme has been incorporated into our Semester 2 programme.

• Students will have more flexibility to connect with the subjects of their choosing and better aligned with their passions, interests or future pathways.

• Students will have increased flexibility to determine their learning priorities, meaning they will be able to spend more time with teachers if they require support. Whānau are encouraged to participate in helping determine what a learning programme looks like for their child. This can be worked through with Kaiārahi (Advisors).

• There will be smaller class sizes for students.

• The selection process has been streamlined to make it simpler and more accessible for both students and their whānau.

• From now on, we will only run a 2 Semester programme. This change is in line with the integration of key pathways learning experiences into the core Module experience.

Selection Process:

Students are currently in the process of selecting Wānanga Ako or Schools of Learning. They will then head into a 3-4 week learning experience designed to build foundation knowledge and offer a range of experiences. At the end of the 3-4 weeks, students will then opt into their courses (or subjects) for the remainder of the Semester. The focus of each course will be both significant learning and academic achievement and will be a single subject.

The diagram below attempts to show how the experience will look for students. While the Wānanga Ako will have a large number of students in it, students will ultimately be working with teachers in courses (single subject) with a smaller number of students. Each student will select up to 3 courses from within the Wānanga Ako or School of Learning.